


For Now And For Always, I'm Yours

by Stacysmash



Series: Random Rare Pairs [18]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Time Travel AU, unrequited crush... or is it?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 09:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15683109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stacysmash/pseuds/Stacysmash
Summary: It was barely visible, whatever it was. The air was shimmering and flowing as if there was a mirage in the middle of the street. It was the size of a door, and the pair walked all the way around it as they inspected it.“It feels warm almost,” Daichi mused as he held out a hand to touch it. Tanaka gasped as Daichi swirled his hand in it and brought it out. His hand looked the same and he gave Tanaka a shrug.“Maybe we should tell someone about it?” Tanaka asked, a strong sense of foreboding flooding him.“It’s strange… I feel drawn to it somehow,” Daichi said softly, as if in a trance, and before Tanaka could stop him, he walked through the shimmering space and didn’t come out the other side.Ask Challenge! Pick a genre and a rare ship:TanaDai + Sci Fi





	For Now And For Always, I'm Yours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HomeForImaginaryFriends](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/gifts).



Tanaka beamed as Daichi let out a hearty laugh beside him at something he had said. He bit his lip and looked away, worried he would be caught staring again because eventually Daichi will stop believing his lame excuses. He just needed to hold out until the end of the school year, and then Daichi would graduate and he would have an easier time controlling the massive crush he had on his captain. For some reason, though, that thought didn’t make Tanaka feel any better. Ennoshita was going to be a great captain, he had no doubts about that. But Tanaka was going to miss the steady presence of Daichi on the team and their intimate conversations during their walk back home from practice since they lived relatively close to one another.

“Are you alright?” Daichi asked, and Tanaka flinched as a warm hand slid over his shoulder. He gulped, his eyes flickering beside him to see Daichi frowning at him, not out of anger but of concern. Everything would be easier if Daichi wasn’t such a good senpai, always willing to spend a little time with his underclassmen and help them through whatever they were going through. And that was all Tanaka was to him, he needed to keep reminding himself.

“Um, I’m fine! I just started thinking about something, and it kinda brought me down.”

“Well, stop thinking about it,” Daichi laughed as he brought his fist down on top of Tanaka’s head. “Worrying about stuff won’t fix it. If there’s something you _can_ do, though, you should do it. You’ll feel better in the long run.”

“But… what if I _do_ something about it, and it ruins everything?”

Daichi laughed again, and Tanaka found himself staring again as Daichi’s eyes crinkled and a dimple formed in his cheek. Tanaka’s chest ached with longing, and he rubbed it slowly to try to soothe the pain.

“I doubt it’ll ruin everything. It may not go the way you want, but that’s life and you move on.”

“Ha, you make it sound so easy.”

“It’s never easy, but I always thought you were the type to be resilient. The Tanaka I know isn’t afraid of anything,” Daichi chuckled as he sent him a teasing grin and a nudge with his arm. Tanaka felt his face burst into flames and tried to hide between his hunched shoulders.

“I am! It’s just… this isn’t volleyball.”

“You know I’m always here for you if you want to talk about it. Even after I graduate,” Daichi said as his face grew serious.

“Thanks, Daichi-san. I may, but not yet. I’m not ready.”

“That’s fine. When you’re ready,” Daichi said, his lips slipping back into a smile. Tanaka ran a hand over his shaved head as he looked around, anywhere but Daichi’s warm gaze. He stopped suddenly when he noticed something strange hovering in the air further down the street.

“Hey, what’s that?” He asked as he pointed to the space.

“I don’t know,” Daichi murmured as he peered toward it, and with a glance to each other, they both moved toward it cautiously.

It was barely visible, whatever it was. The air was shimmering and flowing as if there was a mirage in the middle of the street. It was the size of a door, and the pair walked all the way around it as they inspected it.

“It feels warm almost,” Daichi mused as he held out a hand to touch it. Tanaka gasped as Daichi swirled his hand in it and brought it out. His hand looked the same and he gave Tanaka a shrug.

“Maybe we should tell someone about it?” Tanaka asked, a strong sense of foreboding flooding him.

“It’s strange… I feel drawn to it somehow,” Daichi said softly, as if in a trance, and before Tanaka could stop him, he walked through the shimmering space and didn’t come out the other side.

“Daichi-san!” Tanaka shouted, but there was no reply. He jerked his head around to find help, but no one else was nearby. He turned back to the shimmering space and took several deep breaths, gathering his courage before hurling himself into it.

“Oomph!” Daichi grunted as Tanaka ran smack into him, and they both fell onto the street with Tanaka laying across Daichi’s back.

“Oh! Sorry!” He cried as he helped Daichi to his feet.

“It’s fine, I should have expected you to come after me,” Daichi chuckled as he dusted himself off. “I got distracted though, look,” He said as he pointed down the street. Tanaka turned and blinked in surprise. They were still on the street they were on before walking through the shimmery space, but there were slight differences. The cafe down the street was under a different name, and several shops were either changed or closed down though some remained the same.

“Weird… it’s like some sort of an alternate reality,” Tanaka whispered, glancing around cautiously as people wandered down the street as usual.

“Come on, let’s go check it out,” Daichi said, a strange light in his eyes as he began walking forward.

“But, what if we’re caught?”

“What kind of an alternate reality are you picturing?” Daichi laughed.

“Don’t you ever watch movies? There’s probably an evil man lording over the area, and you can only eat if you pay homage to him or give him your first-born daughter--”

“Tanaka, does it look like an evil man is controlling everything? Everyone seems fine to me,” Daichi asked as he gestured to the movie theater where some teenagers were bustling through the doors chatting happily.

“That’s what they want us to think.”

Daichi snickered as he gazed around until he stopped abruptly in his tracks. Tanaka turned to see what he was looking at, confused when all he saw was the cafe.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look at the name,” Daichi said as he pointed to the sign. Etched into it was _Azumane’s Cafe_ with a silhouette of a steaming mug underneath, and with another nod to each other, they trotted toward it. There weren’t many customers when they entered, just an old man reading his newspaper in a booth, and a couple that was obviously on a first date. All of them spared Tanaka and Daichi only a glance before pulling their focus back, which made Tanaka feel a bit better that they didn’t stand out in this strange reality.

There was no one behind the counter as they approached it cautiously, though they could hear someone humming in a deep voice just beyond the swinging door. While they waited, Tanaka looked over the wall and smiled at the pictures of local sports teams and spied quite a few volleyball teams. He frowned when he glanced over the Karasuno volleyball pictures, not recognizing anyone in the photo, though the short coach seemed eerily familiar with his wide grin and bright red hair. That’s when he caught the year stamped on the sign the kids were holding and gasped.

The sound drew Daichi’s attention, and without saying anything Tanaka pointed a finger at the picture, watching as the realization passed over Daichi’s face.

“This isn’t an alternate reality, this is--”

At that moment, the door swung open from the cafe kitchen, and they jerked their heads to see Asahi shuffle through it with a tray of muffins in his arms. Only it wasn’t the Asahi they knew. His facial hair had grown in even more, though it was nicely trimmed close to his face. His hair was tied up with a bandana around it, and his body was even more filled out than they remembered it.

“Hi! Welcome to Azumane’s…” He began cheerfully, his words trailing as soon as he caught sight of them. He blinked for a few moments, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion. Slowly his eyes traveled over every inch of them until they rested on their Karasuno jackets. He didn’t seem capable of moving after that, and with a quick glance at Tanaka, Daichi approached the counter slowly.

“Uh, hey Asahi. Um… do you know who we are?”

Asahi blinked a few times as he processed what Daichi asked him, and with a quick look around the cafe, he gestured for them to follow him into the back. As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Asahi whirled around and began inspecting them frantically.

“What happened to you two?! Why do you look like you’re back in high school?”

“We are in high school! I think we accidentally traveled through time.”

“No, seriously, why do you look like that?”

“I am being serious, you Idiot,” Daichi growled as he reached up to drop his fist down on Asahi’s head.

“Shouldn’t you be politer to him? At the moment he is your senior,” Tanaka whispered.

“Oh, maybe you’re right. Sorry, Azumane-san?”

Asahi looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown as he snatched his phone from his pocket. He dropped it instantly from his fingers trembling so much, and after Daichi handed it back he pounded on the screen with his thumbs and held it up to his ear.

“Hey, it’s me,” He said as he took a few steps away, keeping a suspicious gaze on them as he did so. “It’s important, I swear. I’m at the cafe and a younger version of you and Tanaka came in! I know it sounds crazy but-- _What?!_ Why did you never tell me? ...You want me to… Daichi, I can’t, that’s ridicu-- Ugh, fine, I’ll bring them as soon as Nishinoya gets here to take over my shift. Yeah, I’ll make sure. Okay, bye.”

Asahi ended the call and exhaled for nearly a full minute with his eyes closed.

“That was me?” Daichi asked cautiously, not wanting to frazzle Asahi but couldn’t contain his curiosity.

“Yes, apparently he knew this would happen. I can’t believe he never told me he traveled through time!”

“Would you have believed me?”

Asahi quirked his mouth to the side as he thought about it before shrugging his broad shoulders.

“Ah, maybe you’re right. I probably would have thought you were making fun of me. Anyway, he wants to see you, but I can’t let Nishinoya see you. That would be a disaster.”

“Aww, but I want to see older Noya-san!” Tanaka whined.

“You’ll see him one day,” Asahi reminded him, and Tanaka sighed heavily.

“Fine, what do you want us to do?”

Asahi had to work quickly since he knew Nishinoya would be bursting through the cafe doors in less than ten minutes. He found some memorabilia and handed Daichi a T-shirt and baseball cap with the cafe’s name on it. He handed Tanaka a hoodie and told him to keep the hood up so Nishinoya didn’t spot his bald head. Once they were all dressed, their regular clothes stuffed in their bags, Asahi shuffled them out into the main cafe area and pointed to a booth that wasn’t very easy to see from the counter.

They weren’t seated two minutes before Nishinoya bounded through the doors and rushed across the cafe with a cheery call to Asahi. He disappeared in the blink of an eye as he fluttered into the back to get ready for his shift, and Asahi gestured for them to slip out and wait for him outside.

“Did you see Noya-san’s hair? It looked super cool!”

Daichi snorted and peered at him from under his cap.

“Nishinoya could do anything and you’d think it was cool.”

“Well, he is my best friend.”

“Suga and Asahi are my friends and I don’t think they’re cool.”

Tanaka laughed and gave Daichi a nudge.

“That’s bullshit, you wouldn’t hang out with them if you didn’t think they were cool.”

“Ah, maybe you got me there.”

They fell silent for a moment, looking around the street and trying to pick out subtle differences.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? Maybe we should make a run for it and get back through the wormhole thingy.”

“I don’t think my future self would want us to come over if we were in any danger of getting stuck here.”

“Fair enough. I wonder what he wants to say. Maybe he wants you to change the future!” Tanaka gasped as he gripped Daichi’s arm.

“Ooooooh yes, he probably wants me to save the town from the evil Lord. Oh, or maybe I _am_ the evil Lord and he wants to make sure you keep quiet about it,” Daichi sneered at him, and Tanaka was torn between feeling humiliated or mesmerized by Daichi’s teasing grin.

“Are you guys ready?” Asahi asked as he slipped out the door, zipping up his jacket. They nodded and followed him down a couple streets toward an apartment complex that seemed relatively new. At least it wasn’t there in their own time, the space just sitting as an empty lot as it changed from owner to owner.

“I live here?”

“Yeah, for several years actually.”

“Where do I live?” Tanaka asked, looking around excitedly as if his name would be pasted on a door nearby.

“What do you mean? You live h-- I mean, you live… around here somewhere,” Asahi added, getting strangely nervous half-way through his sentence. They let it slide however as they were buzzed into the building. Daichi’s head swiveled around as he soaked in every detail of his future apartment, which Tanaka observed with a chuckle. He felt relieved that Daichi was not only going to stay in the area, but he didn’t live far away himself. Maybe he still had a chance after graduation to start something with Daichi.

Above all, Tanaka was excited to see what Daichi looked like in the future. As Asahi paused outside a door and gave a couple knocks, he bounced on his toes in anticipation. When the door finally swung open, Tanaka blinked in shock at the sight of older Daichi.

“Wow… there you guys are,” He chuckled, his voice just a touch deeper than it was in their own time. He ran a hand through his hair, which was kept just a touch longer than his younger self and looked a little rumpled. He wore glasses that suited him well, and his broad torso was covered in a Henley with the sleeves rolled up. He even had a bit of a five o'clock shadow, and Tanaka resisted the urge to reach out and stroke it.

“Whoa,” Tanaka whispered, but unfortunately everyone heard him. Daichi had been looking his older self over with interest but turned to raise an eyebrow at Tanaka. Older Daichi snickered as his cheeks dusted a light pink, and beside them, Asahi groaned.

“I gotta go, I’ve been up since four and I don’t want to have any part of this,” He said as he began backing away down the hallway.

“Thanks for bringing them here,” Older Daichi said as he waved goodbye to his friend and stepped back to allow the pair to enter. “So, you guys walked through the portal thing?”

“Yeah, do you know anything about it?”

“Not much. Ryu—Er, Tanaka and I tried researching it when we got back, but we didn’t really turn up much that wasn’t a load of crap. We never really told anyone either because who would believe us? Did you want something to drink? Sorry, the place is a mess, I’ve been working all day.”

The apartment didn’t seem messy, just well-lived in. It was rather cluttered, yet every item had the sense that it belonged there. Older Daichi gestured for them to sit on a sofa while he sat in a chair sitting across from it.

“So, you work from home?” Daichi asked, his eyes sparkling to find out anything about his future.

“Yeah, I used to be a sports journalist, but after getting laid off I started my own blog and it really took off.”

“Do you remember this happening in the past?”

“Yeah, I do. I feel like… it helped me figure some things out.”

“Like what?”

The older man didn’t answer right away, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. It was impossible for Tanaka to keep his eyes off the way his shirt seemed to hug his muscular torso.

“I don’t know, with my direction in life, and relationships,” He said, slightly mumbling the last word as he kept his gaze away from the pair. “It gave me a confidence that I was lacking, I guess you could say.”

“What?” Tanaka asked, startling them both. He turned toward the younger Daichi and cocked his head. “When have you ever lacked confidence?”

Both Daichi’s burst out laughing, and Tanaka’s head swiveled between them in confusion yet also enjoying his favorite sound doubled.

“There are plenty of times I lack confidence! I swear, Tanaka, sometimes you make me out to be some sort of god.”

“I don’t think you’re a god… I just think you’re really awesome and nothing seems to shake you.”

Daichi’s mouth dropped open and after a moment he shut it only to open it again.

“Well, he certainly seems shaken now,” Older Daichi chuckled as he watched in amusement. Daichi straightened and shot his older self an impressive glare.

“Shut up, you don’t have to call me out on it. Um, can I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, it’s right there.”

“Thanks,” Daichi said as he escaped, leaving Tanaka alone with Older Daichi.

Tanaka gazed around the room a bit more, picking out details he missed the first time and ignored the way he could feel Older Daichi’s eyes locked on him. It was then he noticed something strange with the arrangement of pictures on the wall and on Daichi’s desk.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nah, it’s just… are there pictures missing?”

Daichi’s eyebrows rose into his hair as a smile curled on his lips.

“I’m impressed that you noticed. Yeah, I removed them before you both showed up. They reveal some things that he shouldn’t see yet. I can’t give everything away you know.”

“Ah, I see.”

Daichi took a moment to stretch in his chair and stifled a yawn.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I always get sleepy around this time of day,” He said as he caught Tanaka staring, but that wasn’t what had captured his attention. It was the subtle glint of gold wrapped around Daichi’s finger.

“You… you’re married,” He said in a hoarse voice as his worst fears came crashing down around him. He took several deep breaths to force down his emotions, but he’d never been good at that. Daichi stared down at his ring and looked back up at Tanaka, his face genuinely distressed.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I forgot to take it off. You weren’t supposed to know.”

“It’s fine, it’s good for me to know, I think,” Tanaka said with a nod, his breath beginning to shudder. “Um, I think I’ll wait for Daichi downstairs if you don’t mind,” He said as he jumped up from his seat and took a few steps toward the door. In a heartbeat, older Daichi’s hands were on his shoulders and spun him around.

“Wait, listen, I know how you’re feeling right now.”

“How can you know?” Tanaka gulped down a sob and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look the beautiful man in the eyes knowing he belonged to someone else. “What’s wrong with letting Daichi-san know that he gets to have a wife one day?”

He heard the other man growl slightly in his throat, and suddenly his hands were enveloping Tanaka’s face, wiping a tear that had escaped. Tanaka could resist opening his eyes and filling the void with the warm swirls of brown staring back at him.

“Ryuu, it’s not like that. Listen to me… you in this future, you’re happy. Extremely happy, I know it. No matter what happens, you just have to believe in that, okay?”

“What’s going on?!” The younger Daichi asked as he rushed toward them. He glared at his older self and shoved him away from Tanaka. “Why is he upset? Did you say something?”

“It’s nothing, I swear!” Tanaka cried, giving Daichi’s shirt a tug to get his attention. “I’m just being an idiot. I gotta get out of here, but you can stay longer if you want.”

Without waiting for a response, Tanaka slipped into his shoes, rushed out of the apartment and down the stairs. He was furious that he revealed his feelings to the older Daichi, even though he seemed to already know. Perhaps it was at this moment that Daichi will find out how much he loved him, not just as a captain and a friend. He cursed under his breath, wishing they had never walked through the stupid shimmery portal.

His eyes were blurred with tears when he burst through the front door of the apartment complex, so he didn’t see the man that had been about to walk in. He pummeled into him and they crashed onto the sidewalk with a grunt.

“Shit! What the hell?!”

“I’m sorry!” Tanaka cried as he wiped his face on his sleeve and went to help the man up. His lithe muscular frame was dressed in blue scrubs, and his ear was decorated with several studs. His hair immediately caught Tanaka’s attention, shaved up the sides but the top a little longer and styled rather messy.

“Hey, are you alright?” The man asked, his initial anger faded when he saw how upset Tanaka was. His hand gripped Tanaka’s arm and pulled him around to face him, and they both gasped in unison as they stared into an almost mirror image of themselves. “No _way_! That was today? Oh shit, I can’t believe you’re here!”

“You-you’re me? In the future?!”

“Hell yeah!”

“Wow, I look so cool!” Tanaka cheered, and his older self let out a laugh to the sky as his chest puffed out with pride.

“Oh, no… what are you doing home already?” Older Daichi said as he slipped through the main doors. Younger Daichi was right on his heels, rushing past him to run to Tanaka, whispering if he was okay.

“It was slow today and we had no more appointments, so they sent me home. Why didn’t you text me that they were here?”

Older Daichi winced and scratched his head.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to complicate matters.”

“Since when am I a complication? Wait, don’t answer that.”

“They’re not dating, um, anyone at the moment, Ryuu.”

Older Tanaka blinked at Older Daichi and then jerked his head to look at the younger pair.

“What the hell are you waiting for, Little Ryuu?! Tell him how you feel so you can do this whenever you want,” He said as he rushed over to Daichi’s older self and swept him into his arms, planting kisses all over his face while Daichi laughed and tried to wiggle out of his hold. The younger pair flushed bright red at the sudden display of affection and with the sudden realization that that was _them_ in the future.

“But-but I thought you were married?” Tanaka asked, pointing at the older couple.

“I’m married?” Daichi asked, his eyes wide with shock.

“Duh, to me!” Older Tanaka said with an eye roll, holding up his hand with his matching gold band on his finger.

“Yesssss!” Tanaka shouted as he pumped his fists in the air. “This is the greatest day of my life!”

“Psht, just wait till you bang him.”

“That’s enough,” Older Daichi growled. “You two should be getting back. The last thing we want is for you to get stuck here, and then _this_ will never happen,” He said as he waved a hand between himself and his grinning husband.

“I, uh, guess we better get going then. Thanks,” Daichi said with an awkward cough and turned away from their older selves to head back to the portal.

“Thanks guys! You look great together,” Tanaka laughed with a wink as he followed after Daichi, trotting until he was by his side. “Man, I can’t believe it. Did you see how hot I was?”

“Umm, yeah I did,” Daichi said with a quick smirk of his shoulder to glance behind them. “You really fill out those scrubs nicely.”

Suddenly Tanaka felt just as jealous of his older self as he was excited Daichi was checking him out.

“Hmph, he’s not that different from me.”

“Of course, he isn’t. He _is_ you,” Daichi laughed as he nudged his arm against Tanaka’s. He didn’t pull it away, however, letting the back of his hand rest against Tanaka’s. “I think you’re pretty hot already, to be honest.”

Tanaka stared at him for several steps, nearly walking into a lamppost in his stunned state.

“Daichi-saaan, how long have you felt that way?!”

Daichi’s cheeks were bright red as his eyes flickered to him nervously.

“I don’t know, for a while. It’s crept in slowly all year, I think. You’ve grown up a lot… in all the right ways.”

Tanaka beamed and felt a wave of courage as he threaded his fingers through Daichi’s.

“You’re one to talk. I hyperventilate anytime you’re changing in the locker room.”

“You perv,” Daichi laughed as his hand squeezed Tanaka’s.

“Does this mean we’re together?” Tanaka asked, feeling his chest tighten with hope.

“I think so. You heard what the older _you_ said, the sooner we get together, the sooner you can kiss me all over,” He whispered into Tanaka’s ear, causing shivers to rumble down his back.

“Quick, let’s hurry. I think I still got time before my mom expects me home.”

Daichi laughed as Tanaka began bolting toward the shimmering door in the street, barely keeping up as relished seeing his hand encased in Tanaka’s, exactly where it should be.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!! Let me know what you think in a comment :) I have about 6 more requests to work through so if I haven't gotten to yours yet please be patient with me!


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